On the eve of its 25th anniversary in 2024, the oneworld airline alliance has unveiled its first-ever, fully branded, dedicated airport lounge at Seoul’s Incheon airport… and the finished product is a stunner.
Located in Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, the modern lounge is the result of a collaboration between the alliance and ground services provider Swissport, whose team produces the ASPIRE Airport Lounges. The new facility can host up to 148 customers.
Situated less than 10 minutes’ walk from the furthest oneworld carrier departure gate, the lounge promises to break “new ground in premium benefits and luxury air travel”.
Spread across 555 square metres, the new facility gives a nod to South Korean culture, with colourful Lantern Festival glass art and a ‘Gat’ hat in one of its bars examples of its mix of traditional and contemporary looks.
The lounge features several distinct zones with comfortable seats for customers to relax, work or dine, providing both private and social spaces. It also has special ‘mood lighting’ that changes colour based on the time of day.
Oneworld says the lounge’s design pays close attention to details and uses unique materials, offering a new kind of luxury with a futuristic touch.
Who can get in
The new lounge is open from 7:30am to 11:45pm daily (except on Monday and Saturday, when it opens at 4:30am) and is open to eligible Emerald and Sapphire customers departing from Seoul on oneworld flights, as well as First and Business Class flyers travelling with member airlines.
Members of the airline alliance can use over 600 airport lounges worldwide through their Priority Tier Benefits.
Seven alliance member airlines – American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines – currently use Incheon International Airport, operating over 60 weekly flights to Seoul.
“With oneworld celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, we are incredibly proud to be opening the very first oneworld branded lounge experience for our member airlines’ customers,” oneworld Vice President, Customer Experience, Delivery and Membership Gerhard Girkinger said.
“The new oneworld lounge is an exciting next step in our vision to making travel bright. Together with ASPIRE, we have combined refined fixtures and finishes, digital technologies, and warm and ergonomic settings to create smart and memorable travel experiences.
“Our new Incheon lounge resets the benchmark for contemporary travel and will serve as the blueprint for future oneworld lounges in select airports around the world.”
Swissport International AG Global Vice President Executive Lounges, David Collyer, said the company was “very pleased” with the end result of the facility.
“Leveraging our expertise as the go-to partner for airlines to outsource their complex hub and large base operations, Swissport and our ASPIRE team are committed to bringing the same standard of excellence to oneworld’s new lounge business,” he added.
Jochem Straatman, D/DOCK Art Director said, “It was exciting to transform the highly dynamic but digital oneworld brand into a tangible and elegant and sophisticated 3D space for the first time”.
“We have created an engaging lounge with its own distinct oneworld identity which has been designed as a vibrant integration of smart digital technologies to boost connectivity and fun.”